Committee on Pre-School Special Education/CPSE

Each Board of Education in the State of New York must appoint a Committee on Preschool Special Education in accordance with the provisions of Education Law. The district must locate and identify all children with disabilities who reside in the district. Children 2½ to 4½ years of age suspected of a disability are recommended for a preschool evaluation. The purpose of the Committee on Preschool Special Education is to:

· determine whether a child has a disability that impairs or affects his/her learning

· ascertain the particular needs of the child with disabilities

· recommend the appropriate educational program and/or services to meet those needs

Children suspected of a disability are recommended for a preschool evaluation. The evaluation report is used by the Committee on Preschool Education (CPSE). Parents of children presented for consideration to the Committee on Preschool Special Education are notified and invited to attend the meeting.

PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENTAL EVALUATIONS

Preschoolers two and a half to four years of age are eligible for a multidisciplinary team assessment. The Rome City School District provides this service at no cost to families. The focus of the evaluation is to determine whether a youngster may be showing signs of a developmental delay sufficient enough to warrant special education intervention. Children are evaluated by a specially trained team that includes a speech/language therapist, school psychologist, occupational therapist, and a counselor. The format of the assessment has been specifically designed to be child and parent friendly.

Parents are encouraged to contact the CPSE office at 338-6507 if they suspect their child might be delayed in the areas of speech, language, intellectual, motor, adaptive behavior, and/or social/emotional skills. A referral process is then initiated that must provide parents with due process information related to evaluation requirements, the CPSE process, and child/family rights under New York State Education Law. The Rome City School District has a preschool evaluation team at Denti Elementary School.